Singles
Justin Bieber- “Ghost” (Def Jam)
A late-blooming hit from last year’s Justice set once again reminds us how good Justin Bieber can be when he turns inward. The lyrics in “Ghost” could be used to either mourn the death of a relationship, or of an individual themselves. Regardless of the listener’s personal experience, it offers a well-balanced performance that is both sensitive and passionate, and effectively taps into the loneliest moments of the grief process. Sometimes all we can settle for in the end are our memories, and such a reality is brutally double-edged: endlessly painful and comforting all the same.
Brothers Osborne- “Headstone” (EMI)
Anyone believing that there is still not space for authentic, balls-to-the-wall Southern Rock in the mainstream country space oughta listen to this recent cut from the Skeletons re-release. Hell, dive deep into the entire BrOs back-catalog for that matter. The sound of this record is loud and aggressive in the very best ways, with no one component ever overpowering any other. It’s a sizzling reminder of what this duo is truly capable of musically, with TJ’s growling baritone chops and John’s red-hot guitar licks both getting the showcase they equally deserve. Modern country “rockers” take note: “Headstone” is ball-bustingly good, and never once does it sound posturing or like it’s trying to compensate for something.
Kane Brown- “Whiskey Sour” (RCA)
Kane Brown has unfairly been miscast by many, myself included, as another throwaway Nashville act churned out by its post-bro-country factory. In reality, he’s consistently proven himself to be a creative artist with considerable depth and vision, one that seems to have unlocked the secret but delicious recipe for mixing traditional country elements effectively with influences from pop, R&B, and hip hop. However with “Whiskey Sour”, the latest preview of his upcoming third album, finds Brown happily staying strictly in the country lane, and the result is one of the best mainstream drinking songs I’ve heard in sometime. The plaintive fiddle riffs and acoustic guitar arrangement sound like a breath of fresh air, but the true highlight is Brown’s impressively emotive and layered delivery of a break-up lyric that’s gloriously rich in the honky tonk tradition. This could’ve been a smash in 1973, 1983 or 1993, and it deserves to be one in 2022 as well.
Brandi Carlile with Lucius- “You and Me On the Rock” (Elektra)
Joni Mitchell has always been an obviously prominent influence on Brandi Carlile, but never has that shone through so marvelously on a single Carlile track as it does on her latest single, “You and Me On the Rock”. The fact that it appears on Carlile’s most rock-leaning LP to date is splendidly ironic and only adds further depth and color to what I ranked as my favorite 2021 record. The song itself is a tremendous ode to the warmth and importance of companionship, be it that of a lover, friend or relative. Meanwhile, the “Yellow Taxi”-leaning guitar licks mesh gloriously with the ever-sweet sincerity of Brandi’s vocals and the subtly spectacular harmonies from the always sublime Lucius. This is the luminous and joyful track you need to beat the winter doldrums right here. Another golden effort from one of my absolute favorite artists.
Foo Fighters- “Love Dies Young” (RCA)
Another infectiously churning anthem from an album overflowing with them, “Love Dies Young”, perhaps more than any other single track on Medicine at Midnight, strikes that perfect balance between the classic roaring sound of the biggest Foos jams and the basic rock joy that the band segued to on this album. It’s an honest-to-goodness, straight forward rock track that simply sounds fantastic coming out of the speakers. Some days, there’s just not anything better than that as a music fan.
Green Day- “Holy Toledo!” (Green Day)
This recent soundtrack cut from the punk-rock legends begins with an entertaining piano-driven intro that is filled with party anecdotes both charming and trashy, before exploding into an infectiously loud noisy rocket that combines their classic, head-banging punk sound with joyous flourishes of surf guitars, classic rock riffs and pop euphoria. In other words: it’s a frigging delight.
The Head and the Heart- “Every Shade of Blue” (Warner Bros)
The lead single from the returning indie-rock band’s fifth album finds them further expanding their once rootsy sound, and the results continue to be glowingly gorgeous. The verses convey a lonely soul on the brink of giving up on life, with the chorus playing like a desperate plea from their lover to ride through the storm with them. Lead vocalist and guitarist Jonathan Russell conveys this story with such beautiful, emotional heft and sensitivity while the swelling arrangement of strings further paint a powerful and illuminating message of love and strength persevering through life’s darkest moments. There’s a sense of isolated loneliness and mental anguish at the core of the song that certainly feels lifted from quarantine, and therefore incredibly timely, but this is a universal message as well that can apply at one of life’s more challenging moments, when the ones we love are as vital as ever to our survival and recovery from a difficult life stage.
Let’s Eat Grandma- “Happy New Year” (Transgressive)
The rewards netted from discovering this underground, indie-pop duo reaches past the sheer grin elicited by their snarky grammar policing-inspired band name. Their music is sly in its contagion, biting and sardonic in its lyrical content, and positively hypnotic in its synthy sonic wonder. Underneath all of these tantalizing ingredients though, “Happy New Year” is at its core a heartwarming celebration of friendship, peppered with all of the intimate details and nuances that define each unique relationship between companions and comrades.
Miranda Lambert- “Y’all Means All” (RCA)
A country music darling defies the still all-too-strict cultural boundaries set by Music City to record a bouncy, harmonica-laced, inclusivity-centric anthem to serve as a theme song to the LGBTQ-smash show, Queer Eye? Yep, that’s enough to flat out make my day. Also, she rhymes “Goodwill Gucci” with “Chatahoochies”. I can’t stop smiling while this one is playing.
Lucius- “Next to Normal” (Mom+Pop)
These intensely in-demand vocal powerhouses and stylists return with the lead single from their pending third album, and it’s another intoxicating reminder as to why they have been asked to grace a slew of records by a wide array of disparately styled artists. On “Next to Normal”, they unleash their rock, disco and funk calling cards in one fell swoop. Tying it together, as expected, in one dazzling bow is the peerless combination of their crystalline harmonies and incisive lyrical magic. This is a sensationally addictive track from a band incredibly overdue some acclaim for their own body of work. I cannot wait to hear the rest of the album.
Maddie & Tae- “Strangers” (Mercury)
This duo remains one of mainstream country’s most criminally kept secrets. “Strangers” is a well-written ode to a long-standing romantic union that has stood the test of time and all of the challenges that come with. It’s difficult to craft a song in such a vein without overloading it with sap while maintaining all of the sincerity. The co-writers here accomplish just that and Maddie & Tae’s pure country vocals and tasteful production choices prove to be the perfect vehicle to deliver it with the tender and genuine qualities it requires.
John Mayer- “Wild Blue” (Columbia)
Culled from his excellent current album, “Wild Blue” supplies listeners with one of John Mayer’s most evocative vocals and addictive guitar riffs in his two decade stint among the modern-day axe Gods. The influence of Mark Knopfler’s very best moments are all over this track, and Mayer does a fantastic job carrying on that guitar-man tradition, while continuing to carve his own unique stylistic path. This is a dreamy, groovy listening experience that instantly melts into your psyche.
Maren Morris- “Circles Around This Town” (Columbia)
The country chanteuse launches the roll-out of her anticipated third album with what is easily her most straight-forwardly country single since her career bow with “My Church” in 2016. It follows Morris in her pre-breakthrough days driving incessantly around Music City collecting inspiration and birthing future hits along the way. It’s the crispest sonic setting we’ve heard her in for some time, and it provides ample space for the husky soul of her pipes to ring through beautifully. Meanwhile, the song pays humble tribute to the songwriting spirit of Nashville, as well as the hungry pursuit of a songwriter’s muse that remains just as prevalent once you hit it big. A solid preview for what’s next for this talented voice.
Aoife O’Donovan and Madison Cunningham- “Passengers” (Yep Roc)
The lead single from O’Donovan’s latest solo project is a prominent reminder that you won’t find any purer vocals in any corner of the modern music globe. With sweet harmonic support from the vastly overlooked Cunningham, “Passengers” is another soothing cleanse for the musical soul from Aoife’s ever-reliable canon. Good, honest, no-frills musicianship with nothing but raw talent allowed to be front and center on the surface of the record. What a concept.
Dolly Parton- “Big Dreams and Faded Jeans” (Butterfly)
The legend’s first proper studio album in six years will serve as a companion piece to a forthcoming novel that she has co-written with acclaimed author, James Patterson, proving once again that there is no realm that Dolly Parton is incapable of leaving her mark on. It finds her returning to a clean, contemporary country sound that suits her voice well while thematically returning her to one of the principal pillars of her storied career: chasing one’s dreams with the utmost conviction and positivity. As has been the case for nearly six decades, Dolly Parton waxing an optimist’s philosophy has never failed to uplift her listeners, and “Big Dreams and Faded Jeans” is no exception.
Katy Perry and Alesso- “When I’m Gone” (10:22pm)
The pop princess enlists the help of the Swedish soundsmith to create an electro-pop ear-worm that will already be embedded in the listener’s brain by the time half of your first listen is completed. Perry’s Top 40 chart magic seems to have dried up after a staggering iron-fist domination a decade ago, but there’s no denying that she can still navigate such an affair as capably as any of those that supplanted her on the airwaves. Concert-goers will have no issue bopping to this when attending her recently launched Vegas residency, and this is sure to populate club play-lists a-plenty in the months ahead as well.
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss- “Quattro (World Drifts In)” (Rounder)
“Quattro” is easily my stand-out choice from Raise the Roof. The entire project is beautifully haunted, no doubt. However, this track’s positioning as the opening track sets that tone out of the gate in glorious fashion, and it’s a superb standalone moment as well. It’s far past cliche at this point to classify anything in Alison Krauss’ radius as chilling, but this is as ghostly as anything in her legendary catalog, and it may be my ultimate pick of the tracks she’s recorded with Robert Plant over their two albums together. It’s ominous. It’s eery. And it’s magically sublime in every way.
Punch Brothers- “Church Street Blues” (Nonesuch)
With the lead single from their aforementioned Tim Rice tribute album, the Punch Brothers have immediately opened 2022 by delivering the caliber of outstanding musician’s showcase that will be impossible to match or exceed for the remaining 11 months of the year. Chris Thile’s ability to weave a musical story both vocally and instrumentally remains matched perhaps only by the previously mentioned Alison Krauss, and he remains surrounded by only the most astute supporting players. The fiddle riffs here are worth the price of admission alone. As for the song itself, the Norman Blake standard remains a superb masterclass in terms of painting a cinematic storyboard through the use of timeless lyrical imagery and an illuminating melody.
Charlie Puth- “Light Switch” (Atlantic)
A frothy, funky preview of Puth’s forthcoming third LP, “Light Switch” utilizes the same strengths that powered the singer’s biggest hits like “Attention” and “How Long” to the top of the charts, specifically his knack with a candy-coated pop hook and the versatile charisma of his voice. The verses build progressively with a palpable sense of flirtation and sexual tension, while the chorus transcends the song’s pace into an adrenaline-laced, high-stakes pursuit of a love affair that’s just too delicious to resist.
Olivia Rodrigo- “Brutal” (Geffen)
It’s toothy tracks like this surprisingly heavy, full-on punk outing that truly make up the secret sauce behind the meteoric rise of Olivia Rodrigo and the runaway success of her blockbuster debut. Let’s face it: the teen queen could have easily coasted on the soapy high school drama that defined breakout single “Driver’s License”, and she would have still capably claimed the crown left for her by Taylor Swift. But the fact that she can swiftly (no pun intended), authentically, and confidently dirty up her sound and image with a track like “Brutal”not only gives her listeners the best kind of musical whiplash, but it immediately establishes her as a young voice with meat on her bones, and a range that absolutely nobody was expecting. This is not some wimpy, teenaged brat throwing a temper tantrum against a barrage of noise. This is an artist flexing her stylistic muscles and reminding listeners of all ages about the legitimate, universal weight and angst beating at the heart of the teenage experience.
Billy Strings- “Fire Line” (Rounder)
This month’s Digest has hosted a healthy dose of bluegrass-centric artists so it’s only fitting that it also includes the latest from the artist capably leading the genre forward, picking up where similar prodigies like Alison Krauss and Chris Thile had left off. Strings hails from lower Michigan, but his voice contains a mountainous wail that rings with all of the roots gravitas of those that came before him, and the kind of gritty, rustic wisdom of a man twice his age. “Fire Line” is another solid showcase for all of those wonderful qualities and another sterling reminder that Billy Strings stands as one of the most pivotal young voices to watch for in the future.
RuPaul featuring Skeltal Ki- “Catwalk” (RuCo)
A dreamy concoction that slowly but surely still manages to lure listeners into a banging, dance-floor state of mind as emphatically as any of her long list of higher octane pop anthems. Hypnotic sonics aside, it’s also another self-esteem affirming message landing squarely in line with the overall spirit of everything the queen of Drag touches: “Cause when we live in the light/We taste the sweet life/So walk how you feel like.”
Morgan Wade- “Run” (Thirty Tigers)
One of the very best debut records of 2021 gets the bonus treatment, unveiling six new tracks, all of which hold up to the gritty honesty and authenticity of the original LP. This single is definitely the best of the new batch, a portrayal of a woman still desperately trying to outrun the memory of her former flame, as she tries to start over with someone new. Wade’s whiskey-soaked, rock-tinged twang once again writhes every bittersweet emotion out of the lyrics, effectively conveying the extent of the stains that past relationships can leave on our hearts as we try our damndest to rebuild our lives. True, honest life stories delivered by a true, honest storyteller. What more do you want?
The Weeknd- “Sacrifice” (Republic)
What a banging jam this new single is; easily the highlight for me off of Dawn FM. The intense hook of that funky rock riff that percolates the entire track is unstoppable and when it combines with the chilling, seductive tones of the lead vocal immediately recalls the similarly euphoric juxtaposition that defined Michael Jackson’s greatest rock-leaning classics like “Bad” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”. The very best of the Weeknd’s anthems carry such a haunted yet infectious spirit to them, and “Sacrifice” may be the best example of this masterful combination to date. It’s deliriously catchy and spooky all at once. And there’s absolutely no reason it won’t become one of 2022’s definitive smash singles. This dude’s on on an incredibly potent run.
Jack White- “Love Is Selfish” (Third Man)
2022 promises to be a very productive year for the already prolific Jack White, and music lovers of all shades stand to be the biggest benefactors. While he previews an album of his roaring alt-rock variety with one single in “Taking Me Back”, we now find him laying the groundwork for another full-length project that’s rooted in his other, equally captivating folk side. “Love Is Selfish” lays bare with just an acoustic guitar and White’s ubiquitous voice. The confessional lyrics find the narrator calling love to task for all the pain it shamelessly causes, and White colors it with a complex, multi-dimensional portrayal that is one parts vindictively accusatory and another completely helpless and vulnerable.
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